The present invention relates to a steering wheel arrangement for vehicles, with a dish-shaped steering wheel provided with a steering wheel hub which is adapted to be flangedly connected on a central steering spindle rotatably supported in a steering column casing, and which includes an impact device arranged inside the steering wheel dish which maintains its position independently of the rotation of a steering wheel rim.
A steering wheel arrangement of this type is already disclosed in the DE-PS No. 26 25 184, whereby an impact cushion or an air bag is provided as impact device. This steering wheel arrangement already makes it possible, without requiring expensive conversion constructions, to flangedly connect the steering wheel on a customary central steering spindle. On the other hand, the impact device is rotated along during the rotation of the steering wheel opposite the direction of rotation thereof because the pinion shaft is supported as planet pinion in the manner of a planetary gear so that the impact device is held only quasi-stationary.
However, vibration-technical inadequacies result from this system which increase in dependence on the weight of the attachment parts integrated in the steering wheel dish, and which may lead to annoying rattle noises during the driving operation. Thus, for example, an air bag weighs about 2 kilograms. Added thereto is further the weight of an impact pot customarily combined with the air bag and the weight of the necessary covering parts. Further problems also result from the fact that the pyrotechnical charge of the air bag requires an electrical initial ignition so that an electrical connection with the power supply of the motor vehicle must be provided.
An electrical contact between the power supply and the gas generator is thereby possible only by means of costly technical solutions such as, for example, by means of slip ring contacts or the like.
This contact problem consists in a steering wheel without integrated air bag also when a contact plate for a signalling horn or comparable functional elements are arranged on an impact pot.
The present invention is concerned with the task to further develop a steering wheel arrangement of the aforementioned type to the extent that a bearing support of the steering wheel which is not prone to annoying noises can be assured far-reachingly independently of the weight of the impact device.
The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that a first gear is rotatably supported on the steering column casing and is non-rotatably connected with the steering wheel rim, in that a second gear is non-rotatably attached at an end section of the steering spindle, and in that a support flange fixed with the casing protrudes between the two gears, in which is supported the pinion shaft and on which the impact device is locally fixedly retained, whereby no planetary gear is now present but instead a simple guide or idling gear. As the impact device is now locally fixedly secured on the steering column casing, its weight will hardly be a factor in the vibration behavior of the steering wheel arrangement.
Therebeyond, a stationary cable lead-in from the casing to the impact device is now completely without problem.
According to further features of the present invention, a particularly compact type of construction of the steering wheel arrangement is attainable. The effective structural height of the steering wheel can thereby remain limited to the dimensions of a customary safety steering wheel so that in the alternative a normal safety steering wheel with a spoke hub or a safety steering wheel expanded by an air bag can now be screwed with the gear hub of the idling gearing onto the same end-face spline shaft teeth of the steering spindle.